Improvement in former tor bending and gluing the cases of grand pianos



surface partly rounded, as shown at a, to`a suitable dini-ir OialreDAVID. DECKER, or New YORK, N. Y.

. Letters Patent No. 105,049, dated July 5, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN FORMER FOR BENDIN AND GLUING- THE CASES OF-G'RAND PIANOS.f

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent vand making part ofthev same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID DECKER; of thecity, county, and State of New York, have invented-a new and'u'sefulImprovement in Formers for the Gluing of the Rims of the Cases of GrandPianos andother articles having areversed double curvature; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had tothe accomallyiilig drawing formingpart of this specification, in w ic 1 Y Figure 1 is a plan view, showinga former, con# structed according to my invention, for gluing the caseof a grand piano. i v

Figure 2 is a plan view, on a smaller scale, of the foi-mers heretoforecommonly employedA for the saine purpose. A

The cur-ved side and rear end of the `rim of the case of a grandpiano-forte is commonly made by gluing together live or six thin andexible strips of wood. Theseveral strips are bent, and thegluingetl'ected upon a former, to which the whole is clamped andsecured' until dry. The former which has heretofore been employed hasbeen made iii-one piece, as shown in Iig. 2, its exterior side or face,a a', having aform exactlycorresponding with that of the interiorf ofthe rim to be produced, and the rim 'has beenV formed entirely upon thisside or face.

The object of my invention is to obviate the necessity and difculty ofbending and gluing upona hollow face, and to provide for forming all thecurved portions of the rim upon rounded former surfaces; and to thisend,

It consists lin a former of the peculiar double or' 4dividedconstruction shown in lig. 1, which I will now proceed ito describe.

A and B are two distinct pieces, which together constitute the former,and

C represents the back and side portions ofthe rim of .a grand piano caseformed thereon.

The piece A of the former has its face or exterior form for the backportionofthe rim O to be formed around it, and partly straight, as shownatb, toconform to the straight portion f of the said rim.

The piecepB has its face partly rounded, 'as shown at e, to conform tothe hollow outer surface of the portion (l of the rim c, and partlystraight, as shown at e, to conform tothe straight portion f of the saidrim.

rlhe straight portion, l), of the piece' A, and the straightportion e'of the piece B, are each made of a llengthxnearly equal to that of thestraight portion j with glue, the 'said strips and veneers are placedtof get-her between the straight portions band e of the two pieces A andB of the former, with suii'cient portions of their lengthv protrudingfrom between the said portions of the former to form the curved portionsof the rim. The two portions b and e are then tightly clamped togetherupon the interposed portions'of the strips and veneers, and the portionsof the strips 'and veneers beyond are then bent around and clamped byserewclamps upon the two rounded surfaces a and c of the two pieces,upony which the whole is then left to dry.

What I claim as luy invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is- Y The former, consisting of t'wo pieces, A and B, having the curvedportions of their faces a, c, and with straight lapping portions, e b,substantially as herein shown and described, for the purpose set forth.vY

' D. DECKER.

Witnesses: y

kr,HENRY T. BROWN, HENRY PALMER.

